Brush Control - Journal Exercises - beginners (Patreon)

Hi everyone,

Last year, Dom, who has never painted before, did a watercolour tutorial with me. He painted really well and I was impressed, but I could see a potential area for improvement – his brush control skills. 

Brush control, when painting with watercolour is an important skill to learn and it’s something I take for granted. I’ve been painting for so long that I don’t even think about it. The brush is just an extension of my hand. It’s easy to forget what it was like when I first started painting and how awkward the brush felt in my hand.

With this realisation in mind, I've made this tutorial to offer exercises tailored for those, like Dom, who are starting to build their brush skills. Whether you're a beginner or someone seeking to refine your technique, these exercises will guide you in developing the essential art of brush control in watercolour painting.

In this tutorial, I demonstrate my preferred brush-holding technique while painting. Keep in mind that the way you hold your brush is a personal choice, so there's no need to mimic my approach precisely. Find a comfortable grip that suits you, but also be mindful that you might need to make adjustments based on the desired outcomes for your brushwork.

I also demonstrate how I load the brush with paint.

I use a #7 Da Vinci Maestro series 35 round brush for all of the exercises and then I switched to a little #2 Da Vinci Maestro series 35 for the fine flicked strokes at the end of the exercises.

After the exercises I share a simple abstract painting that you can do to continue your practice.

As well as this tutorial, I have written a blog post  about brush control exercises that you might find helpful.

The video of Dom painting is here. 

Louise

💖